Last Thoughts
Before Leaving BakuAn Interview with
Ken Bradley, President of UNOCAL

Most of the
people in Azerbaijan who know UNOCAL's Ken Bradley know him for
his great sense of humor. His witty manner and warm smile will
soon be missed, as he is leaving Baku after being here five and
a half years. He'll be returning to his hometown of Sydney, Australia.
Bradley is the last manager to leave Azerbaijan from among the
initial group of foreign oil representatives that came several
years ago. In a recent interview, Azerbaijan International's
Pirouz Khanlou asked Bradley to reflect on his years of living
and working in Azerbaijan.

What was it like in the early
days when the first groups of managers were coming over from
the oil companies?
I first arrived in December 1992. I still remember getting off
the plane and the cold wind was blowing so hard and I kept wondering,
"Have I done the right thing?" Driving into the city
from the airport, everything showed signs of an extremely depressed
economy.

There were huge problems at
that time and things got worse before they got better. The war
with Armenia was going on. Factory output was falling. Productivity
was falling. More and more people were out of jobs. My company
was asking itself questions like: "Is this a stable situation
to invest in?" We were very attentive to how the war was
progressing. I often looked at maps and tried to understand what
the situation was and where the action was happening. The situation
looked quite grim up until May 1994, when a cease-fire was signed.

How did your
company come to a decision back then to work with Azerbaijan?
It was a fairly unknown place, and as you said, not very stable.

I think that for a company the size of UNOCAL, it made a lot
of sense to work in Azerbaijan, because the country showed signs
of wanting to be independent. UNOCAL's logo, you know, is "1776-the
Spirit of Independence." We had that in the back of our
minds and were looking for a certain kind of a country. We thought
Azerbaijan was that sort of country. Plus Azerbaijan's geographical
location seemed to make it a fairly easy place to work in.

We were very happy to see that
a stable government did get established. We began to see an end
to the relentless depression that had been imposed on the country.
Conditions began to improve for us and for the Azeris.

People from Moscow kept asking
us, "Why are you in Azerbaijan?" They considered Azerbaijan
to be some sort of "backyard" for them. And I replied
that for UNOCAL Azerbaijan is the "frontyard." We held
the exact opposite view. Because of Azerbaijan's geographical
position, we envisaged that you could get the oil out of here
with a minimum of problems compared to further distances inside
Russia. Although these matters are very complex even now, we
still believe it is a viable place to do business. Our perceptions
are based on the continued demonstration of independence that
this country has exhibited.

As everyone knows, the opportunities
for oil production are quite immense here compared to many other
countries of the world. We'll see in next few years if our perception
and judgment is correct.

Sometimes people arrive in
Baku and complain about things-that must make you laugh, considering
how much things have changed.
Being an expatriate here isn't a big problem anymore. In fact,
I find it harder and harder to find things to complain about.
But I must admit, I almost liked it better when there were fewer
expatriates here.

Are there any new challenges?
There are a lot more companies here now. Because we were successful
in negotiating earlier contracts, we made it more difficult for
ourselves overall to negotiate new contracts. Now there are a
lot more competitors here trying to do the same thing. Well,
that's fine. It shows growth in the business. It demonstrates
that there are a lot more people exhibiting the same confidence
that we had in earlier years.

I've seen the Azeri side learn
how to handle foreigners, too. It took a while to build trust
between the two groups. The people who negotiated the oil deals
were very professional. Once we got past the first stage and
it was shown that the "Contract of the Century" (the
AIOC contract signed in 1994) was possible, other companies were
encouraged to come forward and think seriously about investing
in Azerbaijan. I'm glad that my company saw the opportunity much
earlier, and had enough faith in Azerbaijan to believe that it
could be a viable investment.

It's difficult to do business
in Azerbaijan unless you understand their point of view and get
to know and trust them. Valuable relationships go beyond business.
One thing I'm taking away from this experience is an appreciation
for the individuals I've met and worked with here - I'll never
forget them.

Tell us about your experiences
at the American Embassy.
I've had a lot of fun with the American ambassadors. They've
had some very good people here. I've also enjoyed the local people
in the embassy, especially the security guards.

I'll never forget one morning,
I was trying to go inside the embassy, and I could tell that
the security guard was new to the job. He'd been given a list
of how to check visitors, so he immediately went down the list
and started asking questions in his faltering English. And then
he asked me: "Do you have a gun?" And I replied, "No,
I don't, but I can go out and get one if that's what is required
to get in here!"

I guess that was a bit unfair
of me to say, since his English wasn't so good and he was just
trying to do his best. I saw him again a few months later. He
took one look at me and laughed: "Did you bring your gun?"

Do you have any advice for
expatriates who are coming to Azerbaijan for the first time?
I remember being very apprehensive when I came because I didn't
know the Azeri language or Russian. But here I am nearly six
years later still much in the same situation but I feel very
happy and comfortable about everything because of the kindness
of the people.

I guess my advice to people
coming to Azerbaijan is to be sensitive about what's going on
here. Be aware of the transitions that are occurring here. Understand
where Azerbaijan has come from and realize the huge problems
that have been tackled. Once you show some sensitivity to these
things, you'll understand that you're very fortunate coming from
the background that you do. You probably take its framework of
law and order for granted.

Let's talk some more about
your own experience in Azerbaijan. You were one of those who
was involved with humanitarian organizations early on.
Yes, that's right. I'm very interested in humanitarian aid programs.
We distributed blankets in 1993 during the war, just outside
Aghdam. That was quite an experience seeing all those refugees
living along the sides of roads, coming from kilometers away-often
on foot-just to escape war zones. That's a vivid memory for me.
You can read about it in newspapers, but it's not the same thing
as being there. We've also been working with a tuberculosis clinic
here in Baku. We've also involved with several projects for the
refugees.

In fact, tomorrow we're scheduled
to go out to Fuzuli area to look at newly constructed homes that
will replace those which were damaged by the war. I think, apart
from giving money to humanitarian organizations that oversee
such projects, we need to show solidarity with their efforts.
We need to go out there and appear-even if it's just a few times
a year. Even so, to do that and show interest helps urge them
on.

One thing I thought early on
when we were trying to set up the American Chamber of Commerce
(AmCham) was that Americans needed ways of demonstrating its
support of this country especially since the U.S. government
has blocked all direct aid to this country. It's great to see
AmCham up and running and I hope it continues to grow. We have
people now who will carry it forward.

Now that you're going back
to Sydney. Does that mean you've retired?
I've told people that I'm going home to sit on a beach but most
people find that hard to believe. I suppose I do, too.

So, what are you going to
do?
Get ready for my next trip to Baku. No, really. My eldest son
works as a welfare worker in Sydney with two different organizations.
He works with street children, spending a lot of time with them
and trying to help them. I might work with him on that as well.

What's your next assignment?
I'm going to Sydney to set up a new office there. Since I haven't
lived there for 27 years, it'll be basically the same thing I've
always done-establishing a new office and trying to understand
how people work. The people there have changed over time, and
it's up to me to learn how to work with them again.

Do you expect to come back
to Baku for a visit?
I'll be very disappointed if I don't get in a visit or two in
the future. It will be fascinating to see the differences.

My homeland, Australia, is a
long way from here. Although they begin with the same letter,
they're really a long way apart! Over the years, I've made many
trips between these two countries. Someone from an airline company
once asked me: "How could we help you with the trips between
the two?" And I said: "Well, for starters, you could
move the two countries a bit closer together."

In the year 2000, Azerbaijan
and Australia will be close together when the Olympic games are
held in my hometown, Sydney. I'll be happy to see the Azerbaijan
team there, and I'll make sure to cheer them on.